To think parents(illness aside) should be informed re the days their dc aren't being taught by their teacher?

[Rockpool]

Sooo my dd 7 has had 4 teachers this year(2 are a jobshare,half of which left out of the blue at Xmas).

Earlier in the year we started getting tears re another teacher we knew nothing about.On further investigation it turned out to be a student which I understand is necessary at times.I would however have like to have been informed particularly considering the disruption dd has already had. The tears have started again from dd(and her friend/others too apparently)and it turns out said student is back and she never sees Mrs X. Again I would liked to have been informed.5 teachers in a year is a lot imvho for a 7 year old.

I'd also like to know exactly when their teachers have PPA time and who (supply or TA)are covering them.

Fully except I may be unreasonable expecting this but would just like to know if I am iykwim.

She goes/went next door(changes all the time) for literacy/maths/phonics so not a big travel.It's just the not knowing re students on top,I just think parents should be informed.I also would like to know if it's a TA taking PPA time as things can be explained when it's not a teacher in charge.TAs(although often fab)are not teachers and can vary.Sorry I know that will be unpopular.

I think it is a huge issue. There is nobody who "owns" the class, nobody who knows the children, their strengths and weaknesses, which areas to focus on etc.

I would not be happy with this at all. In my DS class we had a similar situation in y2 and that years SATs were the worst ever. Even worse, lots of kids started to cry at drop off ( 7 year olds!) as the whole thing made them feel a bit lost ( we had lots of different supplies teachers in between as well).

Schools don't tell the parents as it is easier if they do not know (they might get annoyed after all). yanbu

I don't think you're being unreasonable in the slightest and this is (up to a point) something our school does.
We always inform if a student is taking a class. All parents know who the job-share teachers are.

PPA, not so much, but the children can tell the parents because it is either specialists which they're informed about as they do after school clubs too, or school staff they already know.
Parents are informed who their class teacher is going to be. It's not unreasonable to be informed if that is different for any length of time.

I deffo won't be saying anything now,waaay too late and as I've said illness doesn't bother me-it happens.Just kind of bugs me re the PPA and student lack of info,wondering if parents should be informed a bit more.

My DTDs are Yr 1. There are 2 Yr 1 classes in their school. The two classes are mixed together then split into groups for phonics and guided reading. The same happens, though in different groupings, for numeracy. My girls' class has two teachers anyway, on a job share.

In an average week, I would imagine they see 5 different teachers, plus TAs in various group situations, plus parent helpers who they read to.

When they were in Yr R, their teacher left at October half term on maternity, and they had an NQT for the rest of the year. She was exceptional.

I neither year have my children fallen behind or suffered from adverse effects caused by what some would see as "disruption".

I am struggling to see your problem, OP, though the fact that you keep returning to the student teacher thing makes me think that your particular issue lies there.

I've just been asked to send something in to school because xxx who has done so much working with the children is leaving. First I've heard of him!!!

Communication with parents is varied and deliberately avoids telling us things we might be unhappy about. Most parents know this and their is a lack of trust and consequent paranoia/suspicion about the school's actions.

I suspect they'd get more support if they involved parents more

EvilTwins

I agree that its not worth rewriting this year but certainly something give concerns about for the next year.

Yanbu school should have informed you about jobshare and student teacher. Not necessarily ppa tho. Just good communication and courtesy.

there not their
Sounds like that situation was well managed Eviltwins. I've been at primary school (as a parent) since 1997 and have seen many situations - some well managed and some not. I guess your view is coloured by your particular experiences. If you've had a bad experience it sticks.

No it doesn't,I've supported students myself so know the benefits but I've had a lot of upset re this particular one(and it turns out we're not alone) and just think if I'd have known her reg teacher she went next door for was no longer there and a very new teacher was in charge with a v diff style I could have reassured her re the shouting etc.

Her confidence each time has dipped massively and we've had tantrums in the morning before school saying she hated it.I thought we were alone but I got stopped after a traumatic drop off last week and it turns out other parents have had a few comments from their dc and this particular mum had tears.

Diff teachers are part of life but my dd is sensitive and her confidence can plummet at times.Tis fine if we have a chat,a chat before/during would have helped.She thinks this teacher doesn't like her and her work is crap.Her v angelic friend got hollered for dropping a book,dd was really upset about it.

Sorry to Evil re the student thing bothering me,it really doesn't.

I think it can be disruptive for children. I think young children in particular get attached to teachers (I used to work much better for teachers I liked even at secondary school) and I can remember when there was chopping and changing at school I felt very discombobulated and didn't enjoy school as much.

DD1's teacher does go off on courses and has had periods of illness (not uncommon for new teachers) but the TAs do provide continuity and the school do think that is something which is important. The school should really at least communicate when they are going to be having a student teacher in class or what the different teaching arrangements are.

But things thankfully have changed since when I was a primary school and one poor teacher was teaching a class of 40, full time, with rarely any help from anyone else.

But DD1 has always been able to tell me exactly who teaches her and when. Why don't you ask your daughter?

I can understand you wanting information when the teacher is out long-term, e.g. maternity leave, but PPA and team teaching is part of school life.

Do I understand the OP correctly; when a teacher is planning not to be in the classroom you would like a letter home along the lines of "Mrs S is out of school next Thursday on a training course, Mrs Bloggs the supply teacher will be teaching the class"?

Not bothered about 1 off sickness/course days(as I've said-a lot)but long term PPA which only takes 1 letter at the beginning of the year particularly if not being taken by a teacher I'd like to know about ditto a term taken by a student.I get the thing re team teaching.

I think it might have been helpful for OP to have had an explanation about why this class, rather than any other one in the school, was chosen to have the student. Job-share form teachers can work well, but I've had a DC in a class where it didn't (it was an unproblematic year for my DC, fortunately, but it was a challenging time for those who did have problems). And the first few weeks of a new share are particularly challenging time, and I would have expected a school to make every effort to minimise other alterations to a class which has already had that level of change.

Not posting and running but got to take the kids out-just spotted a slither of sunlight(yes really).Will be back later,thanks for all your comments,it's really interesting to see both sides.

Actually YANBU

Not realistic on a week by week basis but in general terms fair enough to know that there will be a student teacher taking a number of classes for this half term etc

We've been told our kids teachers and TAs for next year, including the names of the teachers who will cover PPA.

"I think it might have been helpful for OP to have had an explanation about why this class, rather than any other one in the school , was chosen to have the student." Really?
The class was selected because they provide the student with challenging pupils / no challenging pupils (unlike year 4) / we don't think the student could handle little Billy in the parallel class / has a high degree of SEN / has no SEN.
Not really the messages we would want to make public really, not due to keeping secrets, more due professional confidentiality.

My school organises the ppa rota on Friday night for the following week, and it often gets changed anyway. I always warn my class verbally, but it would be impossible to send a note home at the start of the year.

RE the student- it makes life so much harder if everyone knows you're a student. Some of the kids do guess, but if it's brandished around to parents then all of the kids know. Children and parents do an make a student's life very difficult if they don't tret them as if they are a teacher. Also, no student should be with a class without a qualified teacher present.

I maintain, if kids are coming home in tears (even just Rockpools) then something should be done or said. OP why not have a word with any teacher you have contact with who teaches DD, explain how upset she's become about going in to lessons, explain if your DD knew who to expect when then you can manage her expectations about each day to some extent.

If a new teacher has a shouty style I guess it's not up to us as parents to judge that, but we can explain to our DCs that the teacher, new or not, hasn't learned a better way to control the class yet and as such DD shouldn't take it personally.

No need to mention student thing at all IMO. And a letter at start of term outlining teaching arrangements wouldn't hurt. Our jnr school has meetings at start of each year explaining transition from yr 1 to 2 (etc) and has 'meet the teacher/s' and an open door policy to come in before or after school to discuss any concerns.

Abigail: do you work in the school and can attest to those reasons?

Because it is possible to provide a reason without going into the level of personal detail you have posted, and that is what I meant.

To decide that parents cannot be told anything (because they cannot be told everything) is not a reasonable basis for school-home communication.

Abigail is right - you are never going to be told the reasons why x class has been chosen for the student to teach in because the reasons inevitable involve confidentiality issues, exactly as she described.

inevitably

I don't think its unreasonable for parents to want to know a little bit about who is teaching their child, but I now understand that its one of those areas where parents and teachers (at least on Mumsnet) do not see eye to eye.

maybe you should also be allowed to go round their houses and see is the chancers are as 'ill' as they claim